Sight reading Moonlight Sonata - Tips & Tricks to improve your sight reading skills

[@heartofthekeys]

Please tell me I am not the only one forgetting to check the clefs every single time 🤪😂

[@halaalsheneity5067]

I know how you feel. I do too. And even if I know there’s a clef change,it takes me by surprise because the Treble Clef is in the key of G and the Bass Clef is in the key of F,so if you don’t see the clef change, it’s gonna sound weird and all wrong.

[@LisaRSArt]

👍🏼😊

[@erneuerteseinfuhlungsvermogen9]

well , you only went ragemode while playing moonlight 3rd mvt so yes we also forget to check clefs and go ragemode.

[@luvmuppets]

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 has many measures with the bass clef on the top and the treble clef on the bottom. A total mind(f-word) .

[@timk5539]

I usually notice a clef change a couple bars too late... what the heck...🤯and then try to desperately recover.😰

[@jackbaker9023]

I love your 'What's up guys' intro! So much enthusiasm. 😁

[@LunaLeaves]

'Beethoven, so don't use the pedal too much...' Beethoven: 'Hold the pedal down the entire time'.

[@ziyadzy6767]

I passed my piano exam

[@agustinflores3012]

Good!

[@heartofthekeys]

Congrats!🎊🍾🎈🎉

[@allgood6760]

Well done 👍🇳🇿

[@ziyadzy6767]

Thanks

[@ahmetbey4730]

ok

[@PianoMan333]

Lol I sometimes also play the wrong clef and I feel so dumb once I notice it. Glad I'm not the only one haha

[@superprofi4307]

xD

[@thomashoyosserna408]

Hahaha yeah i felt so identified when she said it, and the funiest thing is that i always ask why it sounds strange and then i realize

[@rogerd4559]

Sight-reading intimidates me, everything is complicated and so much to keep track of... it all looks so much easier just to watch the hands of the player or watch the player piano tutorial, " if you can find it" then go back to the sheetmusic. I was told by music reading programs that there are numerous timing errors in sheet music

[@chmendez]

I suggest this approach for tonal music like this piece : 1. Identify the key of the piece and if it is major or minor. 2. First practice playing the notes of the key to create some memory of the sharps or flats 3. Practice the chords , at least I, IV and V7 (or i, iv and V7 in minor) . Practice the chords with arpeggios. 4. If also helps a lot to listen ( several times) a recording of the piece to get a sense of rhythms and dynamics. 5. Then start practicing the piece.

[@marcobucci4375]

Question. If you heard the piece before (several times), does your playing still qualify “sight reading”?

[@chmendez]

@@marcobucci4375 unless playing by ear, I think it still qualifies

[@marcobucci4375]

@@chmendez Thanks. The problem is that I have good memorisation skill, when I hear a piece it gets stuck in my head and while reading the score I tend to rely more on my memory/ear. If I want to practice my sight reading skills I force myself to not hear before the piece ("prima vista") and only after practicing a bit the piece, listen to the recordings. Sometimes there might not be recordings, so you have to rely solely on "sight reading" skills. But it is personal of course. Thanks for your contribution. I would also add that one can practice also chord inversions (of the chords you mentioned).

[@loris1893]

Italian speaker here. I always thought that “senza sordini” meant one shouldn’t use the una corda pedal when playing this piece because “sordina” means mute, but the plural “sordini” probably suggests that you’re right and that Beethoven was referring to the dampeners. Imo we’ll never know because he spoke German, then he could have not known the difference between singular and plural in Italian. In any case we know that pianos in the time of Beethoven had way less resonance than nowadays, so we should be always cautious about overpedaling as you explained. Nice video :)

[@Barbara_TQT]

I really love how You pronounce „Dzień dobry” 😁 Greetings from Poland!

[@comcatcom8829]

Watching this channel give me good flashback when i was child when i learn classical piano lesson a lot. Looking back then it was really a good times

[@cowflick1180]

I’m Italian and “sordina” is what the first pedal is often called (the one which makes the sound quieter). I’m pretty sure that’s what he means

[@xxjokerxxwr_playz2153]

Love the energy

[@yonathantando9432]

I feel like you are the best teacher, you always explain so good and you are very good at piano technique and you are very smart at understanding what the composers want to capture in their piece, ❤️

[@prof.m.19]

When I was younger, I used to do sight reading of every piece in my book - only the first page, just to see what the piece sounded like. Eventually, I got better at it. I love how you explained all the steps individually.

[@gabriel-wv6tv]

I love the first movement!

[@lazardenic3241]

I'm struggling with Chopins Nocturne in E flat and I am learning so much abt chords and I got a lot better at sight reading, really, there's no shortcut, only p r a c t i c e

[@jojoro8038]

yeah same, I practiced it for a week, now I'm quite good at reading the notes but have struggles with the trills and the fast part

[@matthewbnguyen]

Can’t wait to get to that piece! I’ve only been learning for a year

[@adam6445]

how did you go about learning chords? I took lessons for years but never learned how to identify chords

[@kecelibu]

"willst du mich verarschen?" 😅 I am learning piano after 30 years and find your videos really really useful. Thanks for sharing them 👍

[@jazzfan7491]

Let's face it, any composition is fundamentally made up of scales and arpeggios (especially this Beethoven!) so your job is to not only perfect your scales and arpeggios but also be able to identify them quickly on the page when you see them. Of course, what makes any composition unique and great is the way in which the scales and arpeggios are altered or reworked with interesting rhythms, so you have to keep that in mind when sight-reading. Bottom line: look for and identify the scales and arpeggios so you can "predict" what is coming next, but learn to keep in mind that what makes any composition special is the alterations made by the composer to those scales which you already know. 🤓

[@stephaniesass5173]

Identifying the key of the piece then playing that scale of the comfortably is my first step.

[@stantonkramer2986]

You are so fabulous in so many ways, Annique.

[@pianomaster219]

These tips are very good thank you very much. What also helps me a lot when learning a new piece is to listen to the piece on KZbin and follow along with the notes. It gives a really good overview over the piece and makes sightreading and memorising easier

[@MikeM91320]

This was such a helpful video. I have a one page beginner version that has just nine measures but it appears to follow what you were playing. The notes in measures 5&6 are tricky with the extra middle G's in the Treble Clef. Thanks for this video!

[@serafin1719]

I have a friend, who used to study in Lübeck and he could play any piece prima vista. We sight-read Beethoven piano trios and he downloaded the score right before the rehearsal and made not the slightest mistake. It’s incredible

[@flyurway]

I learned the 1st movement of this when I was 11. I was such a slow music reader it took me 6 months to learn it. Finished it on my 12 b-day as a matter of fact. Today, over 1/2 a century later, I'm STILL "The World's Slowest Music Reader"!! Guinness is looking for me. Over the years I've (attempted to) learned (and forgotten) a couple popular Liszt pieces, Debussy, a nice Chopin etude, etc. I STILL have to count up from the bottom line EVERY little black dot of music!! All these years of counting black dots on lines and it still takes me forever to learn anything. Guess I'll never catch on. I really want to someday (attempt to) learn the 3rd movement of this. Afraid if I don't start soon I might not live long enough! P.S. I need you in my life. js

[@nightowl5395]

This just made me laugh, as I am the same you with sight-reading and do still 'count up' on the stave at times 😅 🤭 I love playing the slow movement but, coincidentally - to reading your comment today - I've recently been watching videos of that amazing third movement. I then watched a tutorial and for a very brief moment thought, "COULD I perhaps think about learning even PART of that? 🤔 before swiftly concluding: "Absolutely no chance...that'll have to be one for my NEXT life..." 😆

[@halaalsheneity5067]

Thank you. My life has been saved by this video

[@franciscosanchezmichelena7]

I've been waiting for this video for a long time 😻😻😿😿

[@KelvinwillBeef]

Wie immer interessantes und hilfreiches Thema Annique!👍🎹

[@TeachMeEntei]

Als ob du noch Hilfe beim Klavierspielen bräuchtest, Franz!

[@KelvinwillBeef]

@@TeachMeEnteiIch nicht, aber man muss doch auch mal diejenigen loben, die sich die Mühe machen, um noch unerfahreren Pianisten zu helfen.

[@engmsaif1]

I like that your left hand is moving between different octaves and also manage to scroll down the screen on the tablet :)

[@G.EvaA.Castiglione-bd3ke]

I love this explanation! I am just an amateur, I fell in love with harmony) :)

[@tree_fingers]

definitely being relaxed while doing it. If you have pressure it's so much more difficult...

[@wavynocturne]

I would love to see what you could do with Chopin Ballade no 4 with the 1 minute, 1 hour, and 10 hour challenge. As you've learned all the Chopin Op 10 etudes, Ballade no 4 has some callbacks to the etudes within the score!

[@nandovancreij]

not sure about the f minor ballade for that challenge as the first climax comes quite late

[@nat91307]

shes already learned that piece

[@MyRunningLife24]

Outtakes - sehr schön 🤩

[@andresodedes6488]

Hi, I'm from Brazil and you as always making amazing videos. Great tips for sight reading, fingering and interpretation. In my opinion, Moonlight Sonata 1st movement is a difficult song, it helped me a lot. I really like your videos and I will continue to follow everything. Best channel/pianist in the world!😁🎼🎶🎵🎹

[@philsipad]

It is really not that hard. It was the first song I ever learned on the piano. Learning music theory helps a lot as most of the piece can be memorized as chord progressions.

[@joethepianist]

Thank you so much! I am still struggling with sight reading and this will surely help me massively.

[@nayti5302]

Great video. My teacher always told me that saying "And" when you count is not recommended because there's a risk to loose the pulse and play as if it was 4/4 instead of 2/2 for this exemple

[@heartofthekeys]

Yes I would agree on this. However, for some people it can help in the beginning to make sure the rhythm is precisely played - later I would change it into counting without „And“ :)

[@PbPomper]

This is also in 4/4 common time in the score.

[@LisaRSArt]

Thank you for this awesome video. You are very encouraging and I love your positive personable personality! 😊👏👏❤️

[@rayswick4707]

Hi Lisa. Annique always makes me smile with her fun loving personality. I love the bloopers when she shares them. ❤

[@tdesq.2463]

I composed an orchestrated version of Moonlight. It's a sightreader's nightmare, because it's constantly modulating. But, damn ... it sounds good! Great Vid! Thank You! ~TD, Boston

[@TheBlackD]

I've been learning this for a few weeks. This video is a given !

[@wedemeyerr]

Danke für die vielen tollen Tipp!!

[@brucecrane9605]

Thanks, lots of good tips for a beginner such as myself.

[@camilasilva9506]

Amazing Annique, Thank you ❤️ i love your videos, they ALWAYS help me so much! i hope you're having a nice day :)) 🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@vindemac]

It says senza sordini because it is a music written for fortepiano, the sound fades much faster than a modern piano

[@robertoromero5980]

He tells us good tips.

[@calumtait4925]

Loved this! I play this all the time.

[@anonymousidentity9957]

I laughed so much when the “without deafness” part came up and you were all like “aaaa Beethoven”

[@pianohero1838]

Cooooool - Annique at her best! Love your positive energy - amazing

[@SuonoReale]

What I do is every 6 months, I sight-play through Eduard Steuermann's piano arrangement of Schoenberg's Kammersymphonie op 9. Or sight-play Alban Berg's piano sonata like once a month. It's better to sight-play things that are tonally ambiguous because you won't be able to depend on patterns and common resolutions etc that you have subconsciously mastered through years of hearing and playing music.

[@amjan]

I'm impressed by you playing those annoying huge intervals cleanly!! Those beyond an octave in the right hand. I have the same size hand so I know that's hard. Diese oktawen wollen mich verarschen ;)

[@josantonioalcantara]

The use of pedal in this movement is tricky. Even if the piece says the use of pedal the whole piece without lifting your foot, the mechanism of pianos and their resonance in classical era is very different from modern pianos. Therefore, you have to experiment different ways to use the pedal that fits the sound you are pursuing and suits the piece.

[@dogswithavlog]

I play cello and this video was still very helpful! Thanks!

[@geraldandrle9930]

I forget to look at the clef and then for a moment I am confused about the harmonies. I say to myself look at the key signature and the clef. Interesting someone as accomplished as you would make the same mistake. Thank you for your insights.

[@rocky_racoon_uk1252]

Great tips for a beginner sight reader, thanks for this.

[@misaelmoralesbalbuena3533]

I LOVED THIS VIDEO ANNIQUE, you’re my favorite pianist and my favorite influencer. 🥰

[@GraceK1218]

Thanks for the video

[@novartisnk9684]

it was soooo hrelpful thankss especially te key part

[@lolilou9721]

That s a sight Reading piece we re doing at 11 in conservatory or at least when we are young. Seems obvious for me to know how attack a piece. But you do great job for people !

[@MrGeati6783]

Jetzt hab ich die Mondscheinsonate zum hundertsten Mal gespielt und doch noch was gelernt. Ich springe immer mit der linken Hand mit dem 1. und 5. Finger die Oktaven rauf und runter und wundere mich warum ich manchmal nicht treffe...dabei wäre 1+5 zu 1+4 doch so einfach. Muss ich heut mal ausprobieren. Danke dafür. :)

[@DiegoRodriguez-bu4jp]

Thank you so much you are the best teacher 🤩🤩🤩. Greetings from Panamá 🇵🇦 ❤️🎹

[@teresapedinotti9043]

🎉🎉 congratulations

[@gebelcenteno9021]

❤️ love it!

[@curtpiazza1688]

Great advice....thanx!

[@liellavi5722]

Please can you make more videos on sight reading? What music should you read to improve. Do you recommend czerny?

[@knoxchilumbu2385]

Looks like I will enjoy you presentations.

[@lucaspagani5561]

I am from brazil and i love your channel! You could make a video with tips and tricks about playing big chords with the hands very open, cause when I play pieces that need this, my hands feel so tired

[@gnurru]

Vielen Dank, Annique! Sehr interessant!

[@komoru]

I found it easier and simpler to learn this piece by starting out playing it in chords rather than arpeggios because it forces you to "chunk" the notes into simple groups.

[@jorgefiguerola1239]

Must say your cyber offerings are addictive. Can't seem to pass up any of them. Keep them coming. When you look at staff notation, speaking of sight-reading, do you hear the melody in your head, even so, possibly sensing its mood or character? Secondly, what is your opinion that in music history there have been quite a few artists, some alive today, that have never learned to read music?

[@465painkiller465]

Thank you for an interesting video, with a great example piece.

[@Vic9994546]

Interesting fact it says to hold the pedal for the whole piece! This is because the older piano had a much weaker pedal than we do now and weaker tone so holding the pedal for an entire piece wasn’t muddy in 1.5 seconds like it would be for the modern piano I believe the pedal was controlled by lifting your knee unlike with your foot today. This affected historic phrasing as Beethoven meant for the left hand to be the sole voice however now that we cannot hold a pedal for the entire piece pianists now make the right hand more of a figure rather than background due to the blur issue.

[@smakpelnosprawnosci]

Dzien dobry from Poland 🎉🎉🎉

[@ProgramistaNaBudowie]

Dzień dobry! Thank you very much for this video.

[@martamalolepsza9108]

omg I’m from Poland and I’ve just heard this DZIEŃ DOBRY and I’m like what’s just happened I still don’t know I’m confused but it’s nice :))

[@jd0808jd]

Great video!!! Very informative thank you

[@allgood6760]

Music is a language.. Thanks for your help.👍🇳🇿

[@Flanksinatraaa]

A very great video :) thank you Annique 😊

[@brookelizotte]

It’s such a pleasure to discover you and your channel, thank you for sharing your knowledge! May I ask what software/App you use to read, scroll, and markup the sheet music on your iPad? Thank you again!!

[@hk4672]

I absolutely hated sight reading and it's a skill I neglected for a long time, but a few months ago I decided to invest in it and now I'm really starting to like it, lol. I still suck (not as much as before) but it feels good when you actually land on the right notes 😝

[@cono73]

Senza sordini means, as you said, without mutes, but this cannot be translated into keeping the sustain pedal always down with modern pianos. At Beethoven times, the sustain was much shorter than today, then the effect he wanted on his instrument has to be reinterpreted in modern pianos.

[@alanmgraham]

Yes, actually Annique already talked about that in one of her other videos. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHfWZqidqpWZnas

[@imgaryrb]

Not quite. Depends on the piano you have you can genuinely respect the effect.

[@philsipad]

For me it's very simple. Once the sound starts to get muddy and the notes run into each other lift the foot momentarily to contain the sustain.

[@abielalgravez9399]

I would love to schedule a lesson one day!!

[@claudiadacapo]

please do more videos of this format!

[@MartinHeidenreichMusic]

Wonderful video, found your channel by chance now. Thanks for that great insight

[@S.v.B.37]

Tolles Video wie eh und jeh....aber die Outtakes😂 wonderful

[@emarekica]

I would like your take on any of Bach fugue sight reading.

[@jerryorc]

安妮可~新年快樂~虎哩發財!!

[@abrahammedvin8192]

Check the cleffs definitely...my first piano teacher when I inquired about hat"odd"(maybe she was distracted that day?) notation in the left hand told me that "I didn't have to worry about that"... so I didn't...until my 2nd piano teaher....what is hilarious And weird is that if you play the Motzart Adagio ignoring cleft indications for the left hand it still sounds great...maybe even better

[@purvisood17]

i literally thought of asking you for a sight reading video last night haha. i love your videos and learn a lot from your channel. thank you so much for sharing your knowledge for free ♥️♥️

[@Tokoloko]

Deine Outtakes sind geil :-)

[@DariusSarrafi]

I try to keep my eyes as far ahead of my hands as possible. Flashing single note and harmonic/melodic interval cards helps with finding the notes/patterns on the KB. But most people also don't know how to count. Rhythmic training cures that. Robert Starer has a great book called "Rhythmic Training". I don't know if it is still in print.

[@pongo4593]

Danke für die hilfreichen Tipps! Es wäre schön wenn du evtl mal einen weiteren Clip zu der Mondscheinsonate zeigen könntest wo du auf die Betonungen und sonstigen erklärungsbedürftigen Stellen eingehen würdest. Viele Leute wären dir da sehr dankbar. VG

[@daniellisowski4919]

Thank you for using moonlight Sonata for your lesson today. I Had been listening to beehtovans String trios today while painting. I recently saw the filmfollowing Beehtovav. What a great day this Has been !! D.l.

[@rosegranger2872]

His name is Beethoven, your spelling iss SaCrIlIgIoUs

[@geraldandrle9930]

Thank you

[@nantericable]

Thank you 🌹🇨🇵

[@dr.alejandrojoseromerodba3245]

Very pretty

[@ΙερώνυμοςΚόρακας]

First piece I ever learned in its entity... About 25 years ago.

[@simond19782]

very good!

[@vaniasetti7753]

Loved the video... great content. Clear concise Question: what’s with the Bflat? ? When you say “sharp” you don’t say “Hashtag sharp”. Is it just me? Thank you for posting. 🙌🏼

[@grindingthegearsofalltides4504]

fand diesen neuen Video still sehr nice und das video war auch sehr helpful lol

[@xgeetx1255]

3:56 the Beethoven joke SENT ME 😭😭😭

[@sofarsogod]

Thanks.

[@ykendras2212]

Hi Annique! I was wondering if u could give some tips on internalised counting and playing musically? Been told off by my piano teacher many times on not counting enough😅 apparently i havent developed that habit yet and im at a higher grade already 🙃 Playing musically is also something i struggle with, not really sure how to describe this. But looking forward to hear if u have any tips!! Thank you!

[@nomecognome1856]

Hey, i've been watching your videos for a while, i love the passion and dedication you put in this instrument. I really want to learn piano, but i dont have time for lessons, so i'm looking for a way to learn it at home, do you have any recommendation for where to start? thank you!

[@MF-wi8vh]

Ciao 😊 dal nickname presumo tu sia italiano. Personalmente io ho comprato il manuale chiamato Beyer e sto seguendo le lezioni di un canale su youtube che spiega passo per passo e gradualmente tutti gli esercizi. Basta che digiti Antonio Gennari Beyer e trovi tutto. Io mi trovo molto bene per ora, ho iniziato ed inizio ad avere già le prime soddisfazioni, anche io partivo da zero 😊